Different brand names are available in different markets. Do some online research.

Water-based craft glue should be applied thinly end evenly to both cleaned surfaces and left to dry.

Press gently together, make sure properly aligned and no air bubbles, then press really hard. Leave overnight to harden.

Excess water-based glue can be wiped away with a damp cloth before the glue has dried. After it has dried, refer to the manufacturers instructions for glue removal products.

Solvent-based cement is waterproof and some say stronger, but cannot be posted as it is flammable.

It is similar to the glue used in tyre repair kits - a small tube might be all you need. These glues generally make latex curl, so use masking tape/painters tape on the reverse of the latex to stop it curling till the glue is dry. Stick together as above.

Excess solvent-based glue can be removed when wet, or with patience when dry, using a solvent such as cellulose thinners, white spirit, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol etc. If in doubt, test a patch unseen first.

Repairing latex

Many minor tears or holes can be repaired at home. With practice, you can become quite competent.

Here's a short tutorial to repair a 1" or 25mm tear in the edge of a CLEAN garment.

Tools and materials

Something to cut a latex patch - ideally a rotary cutter (ebay) or very sharp scissors.

Something to roughen the latex surface to provide a 'key' for the glue which could be fine sandpaper

Something to stop the latex stretching, masking tape/painters tape

Some latex to make a patch - from scrap, old garment or trim a slice off the hem

Something to glue it which could be the cement from a cycle puncture repair outfit (other types of glue available locally)

Something to de-grease like lighter fluid or some spirit

1. Cut a patch 1.5" long x 0.5"wide. Yes, it's small. Trim one end to a semi-circle. Fix the shiny side of the patch to a bit of masking tape.

2. On the outside/shiny side of the garment, close the rip and hold it with masking tape applied to the outside. Make sure the rip is completely closed, no gaps, no overlaps - else re-do till prefect.

3. Use abrasive to roughen the latex to provide a key for the glue to grip to. Any chlorinated latex - do it twice!

4. Wipe clean/degrease the areas with a spirit like rubbing alcohol, white spirit, meths, lighter fluid and leave to dry.

5. With the masking tape still in place, apply glue to the patch and to the tear area the same size as the patch (or slightly bigger)

6. Leave to dry. Really dry. Like an hour.

7. Remove masking tape from back of patch and carefully, lightly place the curved end over the top of the rip. If not aligned well, you should be able to lift the patch off and re-align (that's one reason for letting the glue dry first). Press the patch lightly down the length of the rip, ensuring no air bubbles get trapped. Press again a bit harder. Then press really hard all the way along to make the bond nice and strong. If you have a small wooden decorators roller - that's even better.

8. Leave overnight to dry thoroughly, then carefully remove the masking tape from the back of the rip. Trim any excess patch overlapping the hem. Clean any marks from the masking tape using whatever solvent cleaner you used before.

9. Gently tug the latex repair by the amount that bit of garment would normally get stretched in use.(consider re-wording this!)

(eg a skirt hem - hardly any stretch, the neck of a tee - a bit more) If the rip starts to open again under strain, you will need to consider repeating the process with a second patch on the outside of the garment. You need to balance the visual impact against the usage. Your call.

After you've done this two or three times you'll be confident to tackle bigger repairs, alterations etc. Possibly.

Testing 6 adhesives on 5 materials (photos soon!)

Objective

To bond a selection of materials used in making latex clothing with various adhesives.

To test the bond strength by stretching until failure or maximum elongation reached